Vegan Yeast Doughnuts

This is a long post.  Also, I am going to the dark side with this post, to the unhealthy world:  Vegan Doughnuts!  Is it spelled doughnut or donut?  Does it matter?  I will use both spellings.   I posted some pictures of these doughnuts in fb a while back and my vegan friend asked me to blog the recipes.  I don't usually eat doughnut and haven't been for a long long time since it is not available readily for us vegans.  I really try to eat healthy vegan food so it is good that it is not easy to get this unhealthy but delicious morsel.
 
I am talking about yeast doughnut instead of the cake doughnut.  You know that there is a difference, right?  My favorite is the yeast kind.  I've been to Ronald's Donut and Voodo Doughnut , shops who sell this kind of donuts. They are really really good but thank goodness they are really really far away. I also prefer the deep fried kind.  Sorry, if it is not deep fried it is not a doughnut to me.   I don't usually eat deep fried food, not daily, but once a while I will eat deep fried food and enjoy it.   If it is baked, the yeast doughnut is called bread in the shape of doughnut.  For the cake doughnut, if it is baked, then, it is really cake in the shape of doughnut.  This is just my opinion.  If I want to eat doughnut then I prefer the deep fried one.  Someone will ask me if these can be baked.  Yes, but then it is bread.   They can be baked in 375F for 25 minutes until golden brown.  The sugar will not stick to the baked doughnut so I sprayed or dipped the doughnuts into coconut oil or vegan butter before I sprinkle them with sugar.  Below is a picture of baked Bombolini, an Italian donut filled with vegan custard and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.

Baked Bombolini, an Italian donut style

This recipe came about after I learned making bread recently.  I perused many different sweet bread recipes and tried to imagine which one would be good for doughnuts.   I also tried different ways of replacing eggs in sweet bread and this one seems to be the perfect way for doughnuts. After trying and changing a few ingredients and measurements, I came up with this recipe below.  I have been really satisfied with the result.  The doughnuts melt in my mouth and so very soft and light.

I would like to share some tips and suggestions about the ingredients first so you'll know what I use:

1. About the yeast: After learning baking bread, I have been using SAF Instant Yeast and bought it in 1 lb package from Amazon.  The instant yeast is easy to use because it doesn't need to be activated with warm water.  Basically, I just throw in the instant yeast, flour, salt, liquid together and then knead it.  No fuss with mixing it with warm water at all.
2. About the flour:  I use Unbleached All Purpose flour.  King Arthur is supposed to be the best for making bread but it is hard to find in my area and if I find it, it is very expensive.  I use Bob's Red Mill organic kind and it's good.  After learning making bread, please, please, weigh the flour for measuring instead of using a cup measuring.  For accuracy, this is the way to do it since measuring flour by cup-measuring tool is not as accurate due to your environment (dry or humid air, etc.).
3. About the coconut oil:  I am trying not to use products with palm oil in it so I came up with this Organic Virgin Coconut oil from Trader Joe's.  I love it.
4. About temperature:  Please make sure that all ingredients are at room temperature.  Do not refridgerate ingredients before hand.  If it is cold, let it out at a room temperature before mixing.
5. Planning:  It takes about 12 hours or more to develop the dough.  Planning is really important.  I  prepared the dough on a weekend day and shape the doughnut early in the morning the next day.  Meanwhile while waiting for the dough to be ready, I prepared the glazes, the filling, and the topping ingredients.

Vegan Yeast Doughnut
Makes 1 dozen doughnuts and more than 1 dozen doughnut holes

Ingredients:
280g or 10 oz. Unbleached All Purpose Flour (about 2 cups, but please use a food scale to weigh the flour)
3 Tbsp. vegan sugar
1/2 tsp. sea salt (fine texture)
1 Tbsp. Instant Yeast
1/2 cup coconut milk  (from a can or fresh)
3 Tbsp. Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (it is solid kind)

Egg replacement:
1 Tbsp. Cornstarch
1/2 cup water (at room temperature)

Grapeseed oil or Safflower oil for high heat for deep frying (abou 6-9 cups, depending on the size of the pot)

1. Mix the cornstarch and water in a small pot (2-cup) and use a whisk, combine it together, vigorously, until all the cornstarch is mixed and not lumpy.  It will be smooth and the color of milk (opague).
2. Cook it on top of medium high heat.  Use the whisk, keep stirring, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.  When it starts to boil, turn down the heat to simmer and let it simmered for about 1-2 minuts until the color is not chalky or opague anymore but resembles the texture and color of glue.
3. Let it cool in the pot.

Kneading the dough:
I prefer to use a mixer with a dough hook.

1. Into a mixer bowl (with the dough hooks attached), add the cooled cornstarch mixure above, coconut milk, flour, sugar, sea salt,  and instant yeast.  Turn on the machine to knead for about 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the solid coconut oil and let the machine knead and mix for another 7 minutes.  The dough should be smooth and not sticking to the side of the bowl.  If there are remnants of dough sticking to the side, it means that there is not enough flour, add a little bit more flour until the dough is combined and kneaded.
3. The dough should be smooth to the touch and NOT STICKY but soft.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and put it in an oily bowl (use oil spray lightly on the inside of the bowl).  Cover with a saran wrap to prevent drying out and let it sit at a room temperature for about 1 hour.
5. After 1 hour,  the dough should rise a little bit.
6. Refridgerate the dough in the bowl, covered, for at least 12 hours (or up to 18 hours) before starting to shape doughnuts. 

Shaping doughnuts:

1. Prepare several sheet pans covered with silpat, parchment paper, or saran wrap and dust lightly with flour.
2. Take out dough from the fridge.  At this time, the dough is firm and cold, almost the same as pie pastry.  Use warm hands to knead it on a floured cutting board and then use a rolling pin to flatten it and rolled it down to 12-inch diameter and about 1/4-inch thick (just like preparing pie crust).  Using a doughnut cutter or your own invention of a cutter(see picture below), cut the dough into doughnut shape, saving the holes, lay the doughnuts onto the prepared sheet pans.
3. Re-knead the dough scraps by shaping them into a ball and use the rolling pin to flatten again. Roll it down to a smaller diameter and about 1/4 inch thick.  Repeat again until finish.
4. Another option is to cut the dough into bars.
5. Let the doughnut dough rise for about 1 1/2 hour in a warm place.  Cover with linen towels to prevent drying out.

Using a drink shaker, I cut the dough for the large circle.

Then, use the top for the small circle.  Voila!

Frying the doughnuts:

1. Prepare sheet pans with a lot of paper towel on it (may use brown supermarket bag underneath it to absorb more oil).
2. Using a heavy cast iron pot, heat oil into 375F (use a frying thermometer).
3. Deep fry each donut about 1 minute, flipping to the other side, until golden brown.  Do not over crowd it by frying 2-3 doughnuts at a time.  Deep fry doughnut holes about 5 at a time.
4. Keep oil heated up to 375F at all time.  If the temperature goes down, wait a few minutes until it goes up again.
5. Place the fried doughnuts on the the prepared sheet pans and let the oil absorbed.
6. Glaze, fill, top, and enjoy!  Unfortunately, these doughnuts will not keep for the next day.  They are best to be consumed in the same day.  Donut shops make donuts everyday.

Glazing, filling, and topping doughnuts:
The glaze, filling, and toppings make doughnuts better, for sure.  It is best to glaze, sprinkle with sugar, and top the doughnuts while they are still warm.  However, it is best to insert the filling when they are already sprinkled with sugar and that they are cooled.  For custard filled chocolate bars, it is best to fill first then glaze the donuts.   Below are a few tips and recipes.  Each type of glaze and filling are good for 1 dozen donuts so please select one type of glaze for the recipe above or make half a recipe.

Sugar Glaze (enough to glaze 1 dozen donuts and their holes):
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 to 3 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
1 tsp. clear almond or vanilla extract, optional
Mix powdered sugar with non-dairy milk 1 tablesspoon at a time.  Add the extract, if using.  After 2 tablespoon of liquid, check the consistency, it should be thick and coat a spoon.  If it is too thick, add more liquid 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Maple Glaze(enough to glaze 1 dozen donuts and their holes):
1 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 to 3 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
1/4 - 1/2  tsp. maple extract
Mix powdered sugar with non-dairy milk 1 tablesspoon at a time. Add the extract.  After 2 tablespoon of liquid, check the consistency, it should be thick and coat a spoon. If it is too thick, add more liquid 1 teaspoon at a time until desired consistency.

Chocolate Glaze(enough to glaze 1 dozen donuts and their holes):
3 Tbsp. Organic Virgin Coconut oil
1/2 Tbsp. Light Corn Syrup
2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegan chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar
Melt coconut oil and corn syrup in a small pot (2-cups size).  Add chocolate chips.  Use a whisk, melt and combine the ingredients together until it becomes a warm liquid.  Add the extract.  Then, add powdered sugar. Whisk and combine until it is smooth.  It is best to keep this glaze warm so I suggest to make it right before the frying of the donut.  Put it in a microwave for 30 seconds if it is drying out.

Custard Filling(enough to fill 1 dozen donut bars):
2 1/2 Tbsp. Bird's Custard Powder
3 Tbsp. vegan sugar
1 1/2 cup soy milk creamer
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Mix custard powder, sugar, and 1/2 cup of the creamer(cold) in a small pot.  Use a whisk to combine them together until mixture is not lumpy and smooth.
2. Heat the rest of the creamer in another small pot until it is hot.  Add the combined mixture from no. 1 above.  Keep stirring with a whisk until it starts to simmer and bubbly.  Turn the heat down and let it simmered while keep stirring for anothe 3-4 minutes until the mixture is thickened.
3. Take it off heat and add the extract.  Put wax or parchment paper on top and let it cool.  Refridgerate for 1-2 hours before using.
4. To fill doughnuts, pour custard into a piping bag with a large tip.  Insert a chopstick or small knife into the side of the donut to make a hole.  Pipe the custard into the donut then glaze with the chocolate glaze if making custard filled chocolate donut bars. 

Another filling suggestion:  strawberry jam and raspberry jam (without seeds).

Toppings and sprinkles:  sugar, colorful sprinkles, chopped nuts, shredded coconut, coconut bacon (homemade or Phoney Baloney Coconut Bacon), chocolate sprinkles, etc.

See my creation and combination below.  Which one is your favorite?

Chocolate frosted and topped with nuts and pearl sugar.

Maple glazed, sugar glazed, and sprinkled with sugar.

Doughnut bars: maple glazed topped with coconut bacon and chocolate glazed filled with vegan custard.

Round shaped:  sprinkled with sugar, jam filled or vegan custard filled.

Don't forget the donut holes:  glazed or sprinkled with sugar.

Vegan No-Knead Seeduction Artisan Bread

Vegan Seeduction Bread

I was recommended to try an artisan bread called Seeduction at Whole Foods market by a friend. It is a delicious bread and whole grain healthy. Unfortunately, it contains honey in it so it is not a 100% vegan bread which is too bad because I really like it.  It is also kind of expensive for a small loaf of bread.   The bread is crusty on the outside and soft in the inside.  It has the crunch and tasty seeds on each bite.  The roasted millet on the outside is pretty crunchy and savory.  I love it, it is truly my kind of bread!

I set a goal to veganize this bread after perusing the ingredients on display.  It has become an obsession to obtain the right recipe.  I can say that I was seeduced.  :-)  I made it 4-5 times and each time DH said "this is good", then he said "it is better now", then he said "it is much better now", then he said "Wow, this is the best".   He had been eating too much seeduction bread for the last 2 months.  This post is about this bread and my journey in learning baking artisan breads.

On top of this obsession, in the past few months, I also learned other new bread baking skill by starting to bake simple French baquette with just white flour. Then, proceed in making vegan doughnuts, whole wheat bread, Vietnamese baquette, and all kinds of no-knead whole grain breads. I   found that no-knead bread is really interesting and easy.  It is just the way to do it to save time.  I invested a few tools during my bread making journey: a healthy whole grain cookbook, a bread lame, a bread whisk, and a dough scrapper(this one was a Christmas gift). The cookbook I bought was Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day byt Jeff Hertzberg, M.d. & Zoe Francois.

Below are the whisk with a long metal handle I used to stir the no-knead dough and the bread lame I used to slash the top of the dough.

Bread Lame and Whisk, both bought at Sur La Table for about $6.00 each.





6-quarts plastic container

I used the technique of making this bread: No-Knead Chocolate-Cherry-Pecan Bread into baking the vegan seeduction bread below.  This  chocolate-cherry-pecan bread is a real delicious bread.  I recommend it!

No-Knead Chocolate-Cherry-Pecan Bread

I would like to share several tips about tools in baking no-knead bread:

- A whisk and bread lame such as pictured above are very helpful.
- A large plastic container to raise bread dough overnight or in the fridge may be a necessity, especially, if making a large amount of no-knead bread.  Mine is a 6- quarts plastic container with a lid.
 - A cheap shower cap to cover the bowl of bread dough while it is rising can be a great help.  I brought home those shower caps provided in hotels/motels which are still in packages (unopened) and use them to cover my bread bowl (learned this from several blogs).

Cover bowl of bread dough with a shower cap(unused).

-  An oven thermometer is a good idea to check if your oven has an accurate temperature.
- A food scale can provide an accurate measurement of dry ingredients such as flour and water.  I like to weigh my flour and water for accuracy and consistency.
- An instant read thermometer ensures the baked bread is really done.  I had several bad experience thinking that my bread was done but it was doughy inside.  This problem could not be fixed so I've been using a thermometer to check the doneness of the baked bread since then.
- Invest on a baking stone, cloche, enameled cast iron pot, or a Rommertof Clay Baker.  I found that using these really made the crust of my bread crackling hard while the inside of the bread is still soft.  This is what artisan bread is all about.

I would also like to share several tips about ingredients:

- Yeast.  I've been using instant yeast SAF brand.  I found that this is the best yeast for no-knead bread making and the method I use below.  I had several experiences that my bread dough won't rise using the dry active yeast in the envelopes even though they are not expired yet.   I think those yeast may go bad after sitting on stores' shelves.  It was very frustrating so I bite the bullet and bought 1 lb. instant yeast and store it in the freezer.  I haven't had any problem since then.

- Flour.  I use Bob's Red Mill brand flour whether it is the Organic Unbleached White Flour,  Organic Hard White Wheat Flour, or the Organic Whole Wheat Flour.  Somehow it is harder for me to find King Arthur brand which is also pretty expensive in my area but if you can, go right ahead.

- Salt.  I use kosher salt when baking bread. 

- Water.  I don't usually use warm the water when baking no-knead bread.  The water I use is usually a room temperature, not cold or not warm water.  If the weather is cold, I mixed cold water with warm water to make it lukewarm but not hot.  Also, since I was using the instant yeast I don't have the need to mix warm water with the yeast to activate it.  Instant yeast is great to mix directly with  dry ingredients before liquid is added to the dough.  I even sprinkle the instant yeast on the bread dough before the 2nd rise.

The instructions for this recipe seems long and complicated but it is not.  It needs planning but the mixing and preparing of this bread only take minutes.  Then, I let it rise for 12 hours, then I did something about it for a few minutes, then I had to wait again, then I prepared for the baking for a few minutes.  I could do all kind of errands, watch movie, and other things while making this bread.  After you do it once, you'll be able to do this on a weekend and enjoy it during the work days.

Vegan Seeduction Bread
Serve 6-8, this recipe can be doubled for 2 loaves

Dry Ingredients:
1 cup White Whole Wheat or Whole Wheat flour (4.5 oz)
1 1/2 cups Unbleached White Flour (7.5 oz)
3/4 cup rolled oats (not instant oatmeal)
1  Tbsp. Ground Flaxseeds (golden or dark)
1/2 Tbsp. kosher salt
2 Tbsp. Vital Wheat Gluten flour
3 Tbsp. Rye Flour
1/4 tsp. Instant Yeast for 1st rising (additional 1/2 tsp. Instant Yeast to be added later)

Liquid Ingredients:
    1 1/4 room temperature water
1 Tbsp. Organic Molasses
2 Tbsp. Agave Nectar
2 Tbsp. Canola Oil/Safflower Oil

Seeds( can be decreased or increased or use other types of seeds):
3 Tbsp. raw Pumpkin Seeds
2 Tbsp. raw Sunflower Seeds
1 Tbsp. Poppy Seeds
2 Tbsp. Hulled Millets
1 Tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Additional 1/2 tsp.  raw and not toasted Hulled Millets for on top of bread (for before baking)

From lefthand corner, clockwise: sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds,
hulled millet, sesame seeds, and poppy seeds.

Step 1:
Mix dry ingredients (not including the seeds) together in a bowl, stir with the whisk.
Step 2:
 Mix all the liquid ingredients together in a measuring cup and pour into the dry ingredients slowly.  
 Stir with the whisk vigorously until they are mixed.  The dough will be wet and brownish. No kneading is necessary!

Mixing dry and liquid ingredients together with whisk, no kneading.

Step 3:
Cover the dough with plastic wrap or an unused shower cap (as pictured above).  Do not use a tight lid.  Put the covered bowl on the kitchen counter for at least 12 hours (not refridgerator). After 12 hours, it can be stored in the refridgerator for 7 days before the next steps.

Dough will be brown and wet.

Step 4:
Meanwhile while waiting for the dough to rise, heat cast iron pan on a medium heat, roast all seeds except the 1 tsp. hulled millet for on top of the bread.  Keep stirring for 3 minutes until the seeds start to crackle (you'll hear tiny crackling).  Take it off from heat and take roasted seeds off the pan into a bowl.  Set aside.

Step 5:
After 12 hours, the dough should rise to almost double the original size.  If it doesn't, there is something wrong with the yeast (it is probably is not alive).


Step 6:
At this time, the dough will be easy to handle.  Spread some flour on a large cutting board.  Wet your hand and stretch the dough into flat rectangle.   Important:  Sprinkle  the additional 1/2 tsp. Instant Yeast on the stretched dough and then sprinkle the roasted seeds (step 4) onto the dough.  Roll the dough from the short end side to form an oval loaf.  The idea is that the seeds are kneaded in the dough instead on the outside of the bread.  This is to prevent the seeds to taste burnt due to baking.  It maybe hard to prevent all the seeds inside the bread dough but try as much as possible to hide them inside.

Step 7:
Using a clay pot baker or an enameled cast iron pot,  put parchment paper on top of the pot and place loaf shaped dough onto the parchment paper.  The shape can be oval or round.  It doesn't really matter.  Cover it with the shower cap or the lid of the clay baker/pot.  Let it rise for 2-5 hours.

Step 8:
When the loaf almost double its size, remove the loaf by holding the parchment paper to carry the loaf onto another loaf pan or a cookie sheet, just a temporarily place while pot is heating.  

Step 9:
 Soak the clay baker (lid and bottom) in water (immerse completely) for 15 minutes.  This is not necessary when using an enameled cast iron or a baking stone.  Remove clay baker from water and wipe off the excess water.

Step 10:
Put the wet clay baker or enameled cast iron pot into a cold oven and preheat oven to 500 F with the clay baker/pot  in it (lid and bottom).  Set timer to 30 minutes.  When the timer goes off, the clay baker or cast iron pot should be hot.  Spray the top of the loaf with water and then sprinkle the additional 1 tsp. raw hulled millet. Slice the top with a bread lame (several slices). Carefully, remove the lid of the clay baker or enameled cast iron, drop the loaf  (by using the parchment paper as holders)  into the hot pot.  Cover with the lid. Lower the heat into 450F.  Set timer to 30 minutes.

Step 11:
After 30 minutes, take off the lid and bake uncovered for another 10-15 minutes.  Using the instant thermometer, check the thickest part of the bread for the temperature.  If the temperature reached 204-210F then, the bread is done.  Otherwise, continue baking until the inner temperature inside reached the desired number.

Now, however it is tempting to cut and eat the bread when it is hot off the oven, DON'T!  Let the bread cools down before you cut it.  If you do, it will be gummy.  The bread needs to rest for a while and finishing its baking.  Enjoy and hopefully you are seeduced like me!



The seeds inside the bread are not burned while
the raw millet outside were toasted during the baking process.

Vegan Coconut and Lilikoi Scones

I haven't blogged for 2 months! I've been very busy with a project at work and at home. To relieve stress we decided to go for a Hawaiian vacation for 2 weeks. That trip inspired my blog and recipe for this blog: Coconut and Lilikoi(Passion Fruit) Scones, an inspiration from our trip to the Big Island and Kauai.

This recipe below is an adaptation of 'Classic Currant Scones' from the by Joy of Vegan Baking by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. I wanted rich and tasty scones resembling what I ate in the Big Island. There is no fresh passion fruit or Lilikoi where I live so I used Passion Fruit Jam that I brought home from Hawaii.

Coconut and Lilikoi(passion fruit) Scones

Ingredients:
1 1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg replacer
2 tablespoons water
1 1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/4 cup vegan sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup non-hydrogenated, nondairy butter, cold (like Earth Balance)
1/2 cup shredded dry coconut (not sweetened)
1/2 cup soymilk creamer (or any other non-dairy milk)
Extra soy milk and flour for kneading
2 tablespoons Lilikoi (Passion Fruit) jam
2 tablespoons soy milk for brushing on top
Sucanat or vegan sugar for sprinkling on top

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F. Lightly oil a cookie baking pan or use a parchment paper to line it.
2. In a food processor, whip the egg replacer and water together until creamy and white.
3. Meanwhile, combine the flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
4. Cut the cold vegan butter into small pieces or chunks.
5. Add the cut butter into the flour mixture and combine lightly.
6. Add the butter and flour mixture into the egg replacer mixture in the food processor.
7. Pulse the food processor while adding the soymilk creamer for about 30 seconds to 1 minute until a dough formed and mixed together.
8. Add the 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened dry coconut and continue to mix for another 30 seconds. The dough will not be smooth like a bread dough but it should not stick to your fingers too much.
9. Move the dough onto a floured cutting board and form a ball. Then flatten the ball with your hand. Add 1 tablespoon of lilikoi jam and fold over and mix. Then, add another 1 tablespoon jam and repeat. The dough may be soften. If it becomes sticky add extra flour until it is not sticky anymore(you may want to lightly flour your hands, as well). Then, flatten with your hand to form a 8 or 9-inch circle, 1/2 inch thick. Cut into 8 pieces (like cutting pizza) so that you'll have 8 triangle pieces.
10. Place them 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheet, brush the tops with soymilk creamer or non-dairy milk, and sprinkle with sucanat or vegan sugar.
11. Bake until the tops are brown, about 15 minutes. Let cool on a rack and serve warm with more lilikoi jam.

This scone is different than the lilikoi scone we ate at the Island Naturals market in Pahoa. We visited this market almost everyday while we were at the Big Island, staying in the Puna District. In Hawaii, they used fresh lilikoi. You can also use crushed pineapple and folded them in the scones, instead. This is a tropical vegan scone that is so delicious.

I am going to talk about our vegan experience in both islands: Kauai and Big Island with some pictures.

We were disappointed that Blossoming Lotus Cafe in Kauai closed down. We stayed in Kapa'a, Kauai and was hoping to visit this vegan restaurant. Alas, there were a few vegan establishments in Kauai. One market that we visited was the Papaya's Natural Foods in Kapa'a. They provide all kinds of vegan sandwiches and warm deli dishes. We loaded our cooler with vegan sandwiches and goodies before we headed for the beaches.

This is the view from the condo we stayed at. Every morning we had a vegan breakfast on our lanai(balcony) consisted of a bowl of tropical Hawaiian granola, soy milk, kona coffee, and tropical fruits, facing the beach. The sound of waves, birds, monk seals, and rooster were the background noise of our breakfast. Life is good!














We also went to farmers market in Lihue, Kauai and bought lots of fruits. The scene of their farmers market is different than home. They have lots of tropical flowers and fruits. We bought Hawaiian papaya, Mountain Apples, Apple and Baby Banana, and Longans.








I was so happy there since the weather and tropical fruits remind me of Indonesia. The landscape is so beautiful and green. The air is so clean and fresh and the sound of waves could be heard all night long from our bedroom. Unfortunately, we didn't find any Indian or Vietnamese restaurants. Their popular ethnic restaurants are Thai. There were several Thai restaurants that we visited. They provide vegan and vegetarian dishes with tofu. After 2 or 3 visits to the Thai restaurants; however, we were ready to try other ethnic restaurant that provides vegetarian food but there was none.

During our visit in Kauai, we did try Jojo's Shave Ice which according to our guide book: "The Ultimate Kauai Guidebook" by Andrew Doughty (the best guide book for Hawaiian islands, btw. We bought one for the Big Island, too.) it is the BEST shave ice in the island. We didn't try other shave ice joint and trusted this book. I can say that it was the BEST because the ice was shaved very finely. You can get 60 different flavors from this place. I notice that coconut and lilikoi combination flavor is very popular in Hawaii. Their coconut pudding or jello called Haupia is a popular dessert. Haupia is made of coconut cream and sometimes it is mixed with coconut meat and/or other tropical fruit like mango or passion fruit. You can get a recipe of a Tropical Haupia in Everyday Dish TV from a Hawaiian Chef: Brian Igarta, the Maui Vegetarian. I had a vegan haupia and lilikoi dessert from Island Naturals while I was there and it was yummy. This combination inspired my recipe for the scone above.











I chose Haupia Cream flavor shaved ice: coconut cream with coconut meat and DH chose the Coconut and Lilikoi combination shaved ice (the lilikoi syrup was the yellow one).

A trip to the beach was our schedule almost everyday. We managed to find a beach for snorkeling and swimming with calm waves and clean/clear water such as this one: the Ke'e Beach (the best beach in Kauai), thanks to the wonderful guidebook.

The highlight of Kauai was our visit to this beach and watching the Sunset:


Then, it was followed by a nice vegan dinner at a gourmet restaurant with vegan options: Postcards Cafe, at the town of Hanalei. It is a fancy restaurant where we celebrated our 20th anniversary with a nice vegan dinner. The Postcards Cafe has a postcard to take home:













What I enjoyed the most at that restaurant was their Hisbiscus cooler and their vegan Hanalei Taro Fritters with pineapple chutney(pictured).

It is not over yet, folks! We moved to the Big Island and stayed at the Puna District area. Our highlight of this trip was to see the active lava going into the ocean with an ocean adventure tour: Lavakai. We woke up at 3 am to catch a boat tour at 4 am. Are we crazy? No, we are not! Lava is best to be seen during the dark since it competes with the sun. I really recommend this tour. It is a safe adventure and it is once in a lifetime experience (the lava may stop at anytime). We visited this area 10 years ago and wanted to see the lava going into the ocean, booked the trip, but the lava stopped just before our tour day. So imagine our disappointment at that time. After waiting for another chance (another 10 years), we got our wish. It was well worth it to wake up at 3 am for this:

This is a lava explosion we saw from the boat at 4:30 am. Steam covered my lense so many times that I had to wipe it often. The boat was also rocking and rolling. It was very hard to get good pictures in such situation. Bonine or other motion sickness pill is a must for this trip.

Active lava represents Madame Pele (goddess of fire in Hawaii). She was nice to us this time and revealed herself with no disappointment anymore. We were awarded by this view and the sunrise view over a steamy ocean water at 5:45 am:


The selection of vegan meals in the Big Island was similar to Kauai (many Thai restaurants). We were lucky to find this natural market: Island Naturals (has a sister market in Hilo) which serves lots of vegan pastries, breakfast burrito, warm deli (chana masala, thai tofu, tofu and spinach curry, brown rice, etc.), cold sandwiches, vegan vegetable/tofu sushi, and tofu pad thai. They also have lots of vegan desserts such as haupia and lilikoi, carrot cakes, chocolate cake, chocolate chip cookies, etc. They have great organic coffee with organic soy creamer, too. The one in Pahoa opens at 7 am with warm, yummy vegan morsels and organic coffee. We visited this store several times during our visit and I really recommend this store to vegan tourists. Aloha!

Success! Veganized Indian Grain/Squaw Bread

For those of you who are experts in baking bread, this may not be much to be proud of. But for me who grew up with rice and noodles, baking bread is a mystery. My experience has been hit and miss. I don't know how many times I threw away a flat ball of dough because it didn't rise. After such an experience, I usually shy away from trying for a while. Then, I bought an automatic bread machine so I wouldn't fail. But it turns out that I don't like breads baked in a machine. So far, I have used my machine to make the dough and let it rise only ('dough' cycle). It works pretty well and I have never failed in baking bread since.

However, this time, the recipe for this bread is too big for my bread machine and I didn't want to cut it in half. I wanted to bake 2 loaves and freeze one. To tell you the truth, I was challenged to do it the traditional way like a real baker. Of course, I cheated and had help from my Kitchen Aid mixer to knead the dough. I was not so industrious to knead the dough with my own hands. Are you kidding? Look what I did! I pat myself on the back for successfully baking such really nice looking loaves. Naturally I have to blog it and show off!



I have always loved dark colored breads with molasses such as squaw or pumpernickel. It is hard to find them in bakeries and I don't know why. Maybe because they are a bit sweet and people just don't buy them. I like my bread a little bit sweet and this must be an Asian thing. I searched the Internet for a recipe and found one but it is not vegan since it uses honey, milk powder and butter. It was easy to veganize it; though, I love the result without missing the butter, honey, or milk powder. I used half maple syrup and half molasses to replace the honey. Next time, I want to use all molasses since I like it a bit darker. I also thought that it was too sweet and will reduce the brown sugar.

For brushing the top, I used a cornstarch glaze which was Bryanna's idea, posted a while back in her newsletter. Instead of using egg whites, I used water and cornstarch, cooked until thickened and cooled. Then, I brushed the top of the unbaked loaves with this mixture to give the top a 'shine' and to allow the toppings (like rolled oats) to stick to the bread while it is baking. I baked one with rolled oats topping and one without.



We have eaten this bread as is, warmed in the oven, and topped with Earth Balance. We have also used it as a sandwich bread and pictured below is 'Turkey' Avocado Cranberry sandwich I prepared. I used Tofurky Deli Slices Hickory Smoked 'Turkey' (my favorite), Organic Reed Avocado slices, Organic No-Sugar Cranberry Sauce (store bought), Vegenaise, fresh tomato slices from our garden, and lettuce leaves. I love the combination of cranberry sauce, seitan turkey, vegan mayonnaise, home grown tomato slices, and squaw bread.


INDIAN GRAIN BREAD OR SQUAW BREAD
Servings: 32
Yield: 2 loaves
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes

Adapted from a recipe I got from the Internet, I veganized this bread and turned out to be really good. Instead of honey, I use maple syrup or molasses. The brown sugar, raisins, and maple syrup gives sweetness to rye-whole-wheat grain bread. This bread is yummy for a sandwich or just with a dab of Earth Balance. This bread is a bit sweet and you can reduce the brown sugar if you like to reduce the sweetness.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups water
1/3 cup vegetable or canola or safflower oil
1/4 cup organic maple syrup or organic molasses
1/4 cup organic raisins
5 tbsp organic brown sugar
2 pkgs active dry yeast (1/4 oz. per pkg.)
1/4 cup warm water (110 F degrees)
2 1/2 cups organic unbleached flour
3 cups organic whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups rye flour
1/2 cup soy milk powder
2 1/2 tsp salt

For toppings:

1 tbsp melted Earth Balance
1/2 cup water
1 tsp cornstarch
rolled oats

1. Combine water, oil, molasses or maple syrup, raisins, and 4 tablespoons brown sugar in a blender. Liquify.
2. Soften yeast in warm water with remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar. Let the yeast dissolved in warm water for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl sift together all the flours. salt, and soy milk powder. Place molasses or maple syrup mixture and yeast mixture in a mixer bowl. Add half of the flour mixture. Beat with dough hook of your mixer. Gradually stir in the remaining flours to make soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Let it knead for about 10 minutes. See tip.
4. Place dough in lightly greased bowl and turn to grease surface. Cover and let rise until double (about 1 1/2 hours).
5. Punch down and let it rest 10 minutes. Divide into 2 loaves and place into 2 lightly greased 9" by 5" bread loaf pans OR divide into 4 round loaves and placed on greased cookie sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let it rise in warm place until doubled (about 1 hour).
6. Prepare topping: heat 1/2 cup water with cornstarch, mix well, and let it simmer till thickened. Let this mixture cool. Just before baking, brush both loaves with the cornstarch mixture and sprinkled with rolled oats on top.
7. Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for 30-35 minutes. Brush with melted Earth Balance and cool on racks.
   
   Nutrition Facts
   Nutrition (per serving): 142.0 calories; 18% calories from fat; 2.9g total fat; 0.0mg cholesterol; 155.8mg sodium; 109.5mg potassium; 25.8g carbohydrates; 1.5g fiber; 4.5g sugar; 24.3g net carbs; 3.0g protein; 2.8 points.
   
   Cooking TipsI could not use my bread machine to knead the dough since this recipe is too big for it. You can cut the recipe in half to knead it in your bread machine. I kneaded the dough in my Kitchen-Aid Heavy Duty mixer. This mixer almost could not do the job to knead dough for 2 loaves of bread. I was afraid that it would start to smoke but fortunately it didn't. I wish I have a Bosch mixer. Oh well!